Can't upgrade your GPU? Upgrade this instead... 

Jay, please do the software optimization video. Also, if your air cooling tower only has one fan clipped to it, you can boost its performance by adding a second fan so that they are jointly pushing/pulling the air in the same direction, increasing air flow.

9:35 Jay, I have a suggestion. Please do the software optimization video ... *BUT* take it further than surface-level. First, include *Windows Services* because they are background tasks too. Second, *compare* bloatware performance vs minimalist-optimized performance *vs CPU affinity-optimized performance* . With Intel's new P/E cores and AMD's plethora of cores, how can you force the bloatware using CPU affinity into a background-dedicated core (or cores) to keep the bloatware running, but leave as much overhead as possible for gaming. I would absolutely love to see a video that takes a best-effort to maximize game performance by intelligently using the CPU and how that compares to not having background processes running.

I try to keep my background processes to a minimum, but I'm confident there programs that look important but aren't that could be turned off. That would be an amazing video.

Bloatware removal, system startup improvements, etc. Definitely would love to see that.

Jay, please do the software optimization video. In addition to that, please include on how to remove apps that cannot be uninstalled easily. We often encountered these unnecessary that were just instantly installed. Thank you Jay! more power and viewers!!

The GPU shortage is a great moment to play or even replay old games, maybe classics that you have missed or your childhood memories. It's good to slow down with constant pursuit of the best and the fastest hardware and appreciate some old gems.

Jay, PLEASE do a bloatware removal/software optimization video. I've learned more from your videos in the last +- 1 year since discovering your channel than I ever did before. Thank you for all the genuinely excellent advice (and the amazing builds) you give us PC-building beginners.

OS optimization / de-bloating is the last thing on my to-do list, for finding what little performance bumps that I can on my older rig; would definitely appreciate you sharing some knowledge there.

I am a IT pro - this is great advice. Spending even an hour doing any of these tips will have great improvement to performance. Nice Video Jay! And yes, an updated SW video would be grand.

I have used a separate “data” storage unit from the OS storage for at least 15 years now, and it is hands down the best move I’ve ever made. Not only for performance reasons, but for ease of data migration.

Been optimizing software usage for a long time now but would love to see a newer relevant video on it as things change and it's hard to keep up with all changes. Also, one I always recommend is to turn off automatic updates for everything. One of the heaviest hitters for memory usage and bandwidth if you're gaming online.

A re-paste helped me sooo much. I still use my 6700K, and I had it overclocked to 4.4 at first, but had to go to 4.2 because it was running at like 95C. After I put some Thermal Grizzly on it I was able to tune it to 4.7 stable at 70C. Waaaayyy better.

Definitely would like to see the software optimization. I had an issue with the new Halo game and found out that it wasn't being started in administrator mode. Gained 70 fps from a simple software change. Also....windows bloatware is stupid.

Bloatware removal video would be a welcome addition also a personal tip using PBO 2.0 to undervolt the CPU to make it run way cooler without gimping performance is also a pretty nifty trick 🙂

Hey Jay wouldn't mind a software video. ALways like seeing what other's do to optimize their system.

Plus, keeping your O/S on it's own drive is nice because you can do a clean install, get all your programs installed, and then make an image. Keep all your data and all your games on separate drives, and if something happens to the boot drive, you can reapply that image and be back up and running with a GPU driver update.

Budget issues are my headache. But, OS is on SSD, games are on HDD, storage is on a different HDD. Made a big difference. Glad I built it that way to start with. :) And, yes. Make that software video. Please and thank you.

Switching from a mechanical hard drive to an SSD was one of the best upgrades I've ever made.

Jayz, please, make that video about optimizing the softwares running in the background. Especially with the Windows OSs (since Microsoft seems to hide this with the lattest versions).

I’m absolutely interested in a bloatware video. As for this video, I feel good that I’ve already done everything in the video, but I’m also worried that the gpu is still struggling. Last February I upgraded from an AMD FX 8350 system to a Ryzen 5600x system. Did a 360mm aio, 2 nvme sticks with 2.5 auxiliary drives. 8 fans total. The only thing left is the gtx 970. I’m thinking I need to rethermal paste the gpu to help it continue to last till 2023 when graphics cards will be available again but I’m so concerned about accidentally killing it and being s.o.l. for a year.

Totally agree with having multiple drives for different purposes. In my audio editing classes (I'm sure video is the same) it was always emphasized to have a project drive storage separate from your OS/editing software so that data could continually flow and not create a data traffic jam. I'm not sure why this doesn't get mentioned more often since it prevents your pc from tripping over its own feet.

Would love to see you do a software optimization video jay, I remember 6 months ago when I finally finished my first built gaming PC and it was such an accomplishment. And after a while I seem to have noticed it slowing down and could use some tips of how to figure out if I accidentally installed programs that are affecting performance. Keep up the good work

Jay, I'd love to see a bloatware killing vod! I always keep an eye on my task manager while I'm folding and I see lots in my manager, but I'm always worried I'll stop something important so I leave it

I love formatting my system and cleaning the insides of the case about once in 6 months... Keeps things running smooth!

I'd love to see that software video. My PC is about 5 years old. Still runs good but I do have a lot of software and stuff that I cant really keep track on what I still need and so on... so a guide on the best most strategic way to fix that would be great..😅

I was so lucky building my first PC right before GPU crisis. Intially, I was thinking to get GPU months after base parts are assembled. However, since I was impatient, I just grabbed the best GPU which fitted to my budget. It turned out to be the best decision, because if I decided to get GPU later, I wouldn't be able to afford anything decent right now.

Jay, can't thank you enough. These tip videos are awesome! Thank you for your time! Yes, optimization video, it's been some time since I've pruned through my own running processes.

You asked recently what we wanted and this is exactly what I was looking for, thank you Jay! It’d be awesome to see the software video too! I recently turned on XMP after you mentioned it in one of your videos, and it’s increased my computers performance greatly. So a software follow up video would be great

Hey Jay I’d like to see the software optimisation video as well as a bios settings video. I want to know what basic stuff to do in Bios and Ryzen Master to increase my fps aside from XMP. I’ve seen in some videos when you’re in bios you quickly disable or change power settings or limits and I’d like to know what these easy ones are so I can get the most out of my 3080 and 5950X :)

The one thing I did realized that really sped up my system was, as you said, separating the OS from my games. I have Windows on its own 250 gig SSD and my games on the nvme. 👌

Something you did not mention is that some motherboards push way more voltage than is needed... I.E. my Aorus x570 Wifi Elite will push 1.481v to 1.487v on default, PBO or auto OC settings on my 5900x. Limiting the voltage, lowers the temperatures and is better for multicore loads. I can run as low as 1.275v at 4.6 ghz all core and have it be completely stable and it lowers the temps on heavy loads by 10c to 13c on my air cooler. I would love to see a video on streamlining the OS and software.

I'd love the optimization video! Not only for me but I also do the pc maintenance for my mom and occasionally for a friend and that will definitely come in handy in both cases

When I did a gaming pc for my son, the case I bought was a Segotep. Large, with many fans. It was a nightmare! It was closed as a nuclear shelter and the fans had not enough air. I discovered that the front is made on modules, as well as the top. I removed one from the top and replaced it with a mesh made for fans. I removed two from the front and replaced with a home made mesh behind an existing hive like plastic frame. No more high temps!

"And then you try an SSD and realize..." _Y E P._ I've been running HDDs in my desktop since I got it in 2017. Got a laptop more recently and the difference is insane. Aside from boot times (takes a minute or two for me to be able to log in then another 5+ minutes for things to stop thinking so hard so they'll run smoothly) I was still fine leaving my desktop boot drive as an HDD, up until I started running into problems this last year+ of my computer hanging for minutes on end because the HDD jumping to 100%. Sooooooo I've bought a whole new computer (minus GPU) so I can switch to an NVMe SSD (since my current mobo only supports SATA, and the case has awful airflow). Just waiting for the new case to come in, then it's time to experience a whole new world!

This is great advice! I will definitely be upgrading my aging case soon. Something that I personally do that may not increase thermals/performance as much, is cable management. It gives a sense of pride in my system and makes it look just a little bit cleaner. My 2 cents 🙂

I just upgraded from a hard drive and sata to an m.2. The difference in load times and responsiveness is crazy. I didn’t know keeping games and programs on separate drives than the os would make it even better. I’d love to see a video comparing the difference between a system with 1 nvme vs a system with an nvme and a separate drive for programs/games.

Definitely want that background process video. I would love to know more about them.

I always recommend cutting out the metal mesh in front of your fans particularly for the exhaust. The metal mesh\cage restricts airflow more than you probably think. Simply removing it and giving your fan an unobstructed path will make a gigantic difference. In almost all cases you can use regular wire snips which we all have to snip it out.

Would love to see a bloatware removal vid. Some of the apps I have running I have absolutely no idea what they actually do, but I am also scared of either removing them or stopping them from running in case they are vital processes that should be running. So PLEASE, a vid going over removing bloatware would be a HUGE benefit for both myself, as well as many other viewers with similar issues.

Good advice. Also try tp keep the "Room" the pc is in on the cooler side. If the pc is in a smaller size room consider opening a window or the door for a short time to let the built up heat escape out of the room.

Hey Jay, I wanted to say your videos have been bringing me joy in some fairly rough times. Due to mental conditions and covid it's hard for me to get healthcare and my anxiety is through the rough because of that, but it's okay, as I'm pushing through, I have a job and things. I will be hopefully building a PC next month with some fairly good specs and your videos have helped me learn quite a lot. I've never really been big into tech RU-vidrs but you have a certain kind of humor and style that hooked me the first video I watched. So just wanna say thank you for the videos, stay frosty.

I think a neat trick to test out how a "minimal startup" can help improve performance is if a user created a brand new account on the PC and logs onto that then launches their game. A fresh account can make the difference as well since alot of what rund in the background and in the tray on an account that has built up stuff over time doesn't apply to a fresh account.

Thanks for the content jay

Jay, yes, please cover software optimization! When I built my pc (2019) I wanted lots of storage. I'm using an X570 board that has two NVME slots and I have another SATA SSD. For a total of 6 Tb of storage. When I first put it together my intent was to keep my games on the second NVME drive and the OS on the first (C: drive) NVME. And to use the SATA drive for photos and music storage. Steam was really unhappy with that plan and I had some big instability issues. So, I moved my Steam library to the C drive and My pc has been much more stable since. Would it work better if I were to move my OS to the D drive and leave the games on the C drive? I can't quite tell if the instability was because the library was not on the C drive or if it was because the library was not on the SAME drive as my OS.

Oh man I remember watching your vids when I built my first aplhacool build back in 2012. I am beyond stoked how much healthier you look and are still making vids. You're an inspiration Jay!

I've been upgrading my pc for the past few weeks now. 3700x to 5900x, air cooler to H115i, looking at either a case next, double the ram, or go Gen 4 boot drive next. There's tons you can do with your pc right now.

I'm planning on getting a whole new PC in the new year. SSDs, top of the line hardware - I literally CANNOT wait to experience modern generation gaming with this in mind.

Just upgraded to 1TB Evo 970, and some new case fans what timing, thanks Jay love you channel mate - Have a Great Christmas!

I bought a 48" OLED to upgrade my PC monitor, for the same price as a mid-range GPU. Best decision ever.

For software tweaking: Sysinternals Autoruns and O&O ShutUp10 alone can get you to night and day differences in performance, then you should also disable everything around prefetch/superfetch/indexing all that Windows crap, and if you top this up with some GPU settings tweaks (Nvidia control panel / Radeon settings) you pretty much have the best your computer can do.

I could really use that video on getting rid of programs you don't need running in the background. Love your stuff. Thanks, Jay.

A good performance boost may be a complete reset of the OS, specially if the computer have seen lots of updates and programs installed (and eventually uninstalled)

Yup, seperate drives definitely help. Got my SSD for the OS, 2 for games, one as my editing drive for photos and then I have a 4 TB HDD as an archive for all my photos. 5800X is pretty ideal for photo editing, 32 gigs of RAM are nice for heavier Photoshop work like panorama stitching and for a few games here and there I have my 166o Ti. For what I do this system is working really well.

Thanks Jay for putting this out there. Been waiting like the world to get a 30 series card but will look at upgrading other parts of my PC.

So if having a separate drive makes game loading faster., surely you could do some testing to show how much of a difference that makes.

He’s 100% correct about the SSD. I just upgraded my old/secondary rig with 2 SSDs and a clean install of Windows. It is once again acceptable to use.

I've already done those upgrades. I've got not too long ago an SN8550 1TB. An Arctic Freezer e34 eSports Duo. I've got 2x8 G.Skill Flare X 3200 C14 (and then I've increased voltage on them to get improved timings and better stability). All I need is a f..... GPU that can meet my needs.

Something I've been thinking about for a while is reinstalling Windows because of the slowdowns associated with having the OS install for a long time. Even though I've done it before, would love to see a video where you walk through the process of doing this. Thanks!

This is my favorite type of video, thanks Jay! Always find one or two things I can use Edit: I wonder if there are enough tips such as these for laptop users to warrant making a video on them; if so, that'd be amazing! Currently gaming on a Dell G3 15 3590, struggling with temps even after repasting

My favorite tip is the storage tip. Getting a seperate hard drive for programs, games, etc. Also do the software optimazation

If you can't upgrade your computer, upgrade yourself. Get Stronk! Lift old PC cases. Curl those dead ovened GPUs!!!

Thanks for mentioning about the Storage speed solutions!!! I remember when SSD's first came out and the concept was introduced then to get the best performance between storage access. Never even thought to myself that there are many people now that never went through the massive jump from HDD to SSD and never even thought to run separate from OS drives. Great to bring that back up!! Suppose the next point to illustrate to people is the storage solution access in PCI4 and PCI3 and what to run in which lanes. Cheers!

Because of having no chance in Austria to get new graphicscards to a normal price, i decided to watercool my system. I watched all of your videos about watercooling and learned a lot. Bending the hardtubes was the scariest part but it worked out fine in the end. Now with my new radiators and pumps and waterblocks i was able to hit first place in austria in Port Royal. My Evga rtx 2080ti performs great after overclocking. My i9 9900k runs also fine with 5GHz allcore. So thanks Jay for sharing your knowledge and tips. Cooling and OC works fine if you have nearly no chance to get new hardware. Keep on your great work. Love your channel. Greetings from Austria.

Question: I have two NVME SSDs a 980 pro(2TB) with my OS and a 970 EVO Plus (2TB) for extra mass storage (mainly 4k video). If I am understanding this correctly would be it better to store my games on the 970 even though the 980 has faster read and write speeds because my 980 is has my OS? Currently I have all my games on the 980 pro. Any help would be appreciated thanks!

7:50 for repasting, is there some time frame which one would recommend doing, annually? bi-Annually? or whenever i move the computer to clean it out? running into thermal issues as of late, i've never had to repaste a GPU in my life but a 2080ti is probably the most powerful GPU i've ever had so, could be something i should do but have never done. as for how to, Jay has shown quite a few vids on how to so i'll dig through that... but if repasting a video card is something i should throw in to regular maintenence, its all i really need to know. how often do other people repaste their cards?

something else good to mention is that if you do a repaste, don't use low-end thermal paste (i.e. MX-4) on a cpu that runs hot, like a 3800X, it will degrade over time, and a lot faster the more often it reaches high temps. you can also use high-end paste on everything if you don't mind the cost

Huge fps boost: turn off anti aliasing. Sure it smooths sharp edges, but it also makes it blurry in comparison to having it off. It also wastes a ton of frames

Hi Jay, What do I do to get a PC? Everything in India is already exorbitantly priced(thanks to customs) And then there is this great chip shortage. Please make a video about that as well.

My personal favorite method, (and this is because I love building PC's) is just going above and beyond with routine maintenance. I completely take apart my PC, clean everything, then reinstall it. I also make sure before I do this if there is a BIOS update or something of that sort, it gets downloaded and installed. Also, notes from the vid, SSD's are gloriously fast, and MUCH faster than any HDD I've owned, and even on a lower end chip (I am running an R5 3600XT), installing an AIO increased my CPU performance by a good margin.

Techmas is an experience. Every year. It's extremely fun and now nostalgic 🤣. I have 5 drives and ! I'm fast 🤣 5tb and i can load ends of games that load fast and my old system was already running a SSD. But not a good one. Changed to a good one and now I wonder if i wasted my lifetime 🤣

Yes and yes! Would be awesome to see an updated video on what needs to be turned off to better performance

I’ve learned a lot from jay, I pull 2Kghz out of my 1060 6gb with stock cooling and temps stay around 65C, I let my 3900x overclock on auto and usually set my gpu +125. I run almost all games on ultra with no lag and super fast load times. I keep my games on a 1TB nvme and my OS on a SSD. My computer may not be super high end but besides the RTX tech I don’t have yet till I land a new GPU I’m pretty happy with it

Going to SSD was a stunning difference when upgrading an old computer. Had an old case, and old HDD, after watching videos from you, GN, Paul, i made some long overdue changes. In summer I put together a new system with a smaller M.2 drive fir the OS and a few programs and a separate SSD for games, and loading everything is so fast. I may not have the gpu I want for it yet, but pretty much everything you mentioned here I had done, and it’s still pretty damn good for my purposes considering.

Another tip is that if you have your pc and have noticed that over time it has slowed down, maybe look to doing some cleaning of the case. Being careful while cleaning the fans, but also the grooves and meshes that otherwise could be clogged with some dust. It's a niche thing, because normally people don't like leaving the dust to build up, but that's why some YT channels literally are about cleaning dirty pcs. Also I agree with the video idea to help people not have everything running at once.

Add more RGB. Study shows that 1 RGB is appropriately equal to 1 FPS

Right on! Going from mechanical HD to SSDs is the biggest improvement you can do and fairly cheaply nowadays. I have three 1tb, one for OS and the other two for storage. Huge huge improvement!

Please show us how to do a software optimization video! I just finished a new build and I feel like I did a good job clearing it out, but making sure would be amazing! I also will always choose your videos first because I know you're super smart and reliable!

As one popular punk rock band once put it: "Kill all the bloatware... Kill all the bloatware, Kill all the bloatware, Kill all the bloatware!"

Awareness of your temperature is key. You nailed it!

I did all software optimization for my laptop, now imma upgrade to 16 GB of RAM, put another nvme ssd for all my files and games, and find a stand or fan for the laptop. This is for a base model 17.3” lenovo legion 5.

I think getting better fitting cables than what came in the box helps in improving thermals too aside from beautifying the look. Shitty cable management blocks airflow and accumulates dust faster.

I would love to see the software video! Some of the service and junk I am not sure about running. My current pc is the first PC I've built since 2001. I'm running a Strix B450 with a Ryzen 5 5600x, Trident Royal 2x16 3200 cl 16 and a Strix 3060 ti. Almost forgot, the cpu is being cooled by the cooler master AIO 240. My temps are great since I added standoffs on my front glass panel to allow more air to my rad. I couldn't mount it in the top. It's one of those 49 dollar cases you were talking about, lol. But I feel like I'm leaving performance on the table because all of the software running in the background and it would be helpful if I knew which ones I could do without. By the way, your guitar playing is sounding good for only 6 months. Playing the guitar was a life saver for me. Thanks for the great content. I watch your videos every day.

you know what.. you have my like on every video i watch, you simply KNOW what you are talking about and you make it seem like common sense which helps my brain retain the information you talk about, thank you for the time you put in to help everyone out!!

Just to contribute to what your saying, more often than not adding fans will improve airflow and cooling or remain unchanged. However in some cases adding fans can decrease performance or alternate performance between GPU & CPU. Sometimes it can be just worth with playing with fan placement and speeds etc to figure out the optimal settings for your set-up

won't make you computer run faster but a new monitor can upgrade your experience

I'm working as follows: 1) 250GB NVMe - OS-drive, bigger tools and applications like Office, Adobe etc. 2) 1TB NVMe - Game-drive, the triple-A stuff - Horizon Zero Dawn, Hitman, Witcher 3, etc. Mostly due faster loading 3) 2 Smaller SSD's, both 500GB for smaller games and another holding emulation and whatnot 4) 4TB Hybrid 7200 RPM with 128MB of Cache (Get a Toshiba X300 if you can find them!) for media like music and movies. (the 4th one if you're on a budget might even be the better idea instead of NVMe or large 1TB+ SSD drives and even for 4K movies (excluding some BR-rips), the drive will be more then fast enough. Never failed me, perfect setup!

Jay, software tips video, we all need! (with monitoring, over time, that bloatware, and uninstalling it before that becomes problem with fps, ping or any other delay) Also, good airflow cases (reasonably priced) that can be upgraded to be better, as separate video, please!

One more thing about old computers/casings - _vacuum_ them regularly. Accumulated dust easily stalls airflow and traps heat. I have gone from inexplicable random crashes to butter smooth stability simply by vacuuming out all the dust.

The Case is in my opinion the most important Part when it comes to GPU Temps Aircooled. Having access to position 1-2 fans underneath the GPU is insane for temps. My 3080 will not go any warmer than 60C° (Celsius) aircooled with "reasonable" noise. Almost silent it will reach about 70C° My Case recommendation is the "Lian Li LANCOOL II Mesh Performance" When you have bottom Fans you can also Install your AiO for the CPU in the front - helping your CPU to be cooler than installed at the top using warm Air from the Case. (Although the difference isnt as big)

I was mixed between an AIO and Air when I built my new rig this year, but ended up sticking with Air, I got the Noctua DH15 Chromax black dual tower, and so glad I did. Keeps my cpu nice and cool even after many hour long gaming runs. Case I'm using is the Phanteks Eclipse P500 DRGB too, so plenty of airflow.

I am a fan of the 2 second opening tune in these "31 days of techmas" videos!

I think a Video about Fan Setup on a selection of Cases would be a good idea, to a beginner it probably isn't always obvious where and in what orientation to put them, including Fan Curves!

For people with a cheap case, removed front panel or making a diy mesh front panel to replace the original front panel was a best solution for cheap airflow less case

The software optimization video sounds like a good video that I would absolutely watch and use myself. I’m not having any performance dips with my current build but I am always looking to improve things in small/large ways. A separate video on how to overclock cpu’s/gpu’s safely in 2021 (or 2022 since we’re so close) would also be greatly appreciated as I’m not confident in that area just yet.

No joke about cooling. I built my latest rig Jan '19 and a couple months later when pandemic started I started working from home. I didn't realize how loud the AMD stock cooler was while gaming but sitting there for work it sounded like a tornado. I swapped it for a Scythe Fuma 2 and core temps dropped and my machine is basically silent. Worth every penny of the $60 I spent on it

This vid could be the start of a SERIES of focused vids on how to upgrade existing computers in order to make the best of them, and also to get them ready for a better GFX card, when such become available at reasonable prices. Upgrades made now will be of immediate benefit, and likely long-term benefit. Dell omitted from my XPS 8930 computer some items, such as a lower front case fan, 120mm top case fan, (90mm fan present) voltage regulator module finned aluminum heat sink, and the upgraded Alienware CPU cooler. Discovered these omissions by visiting sites/forums found during a search for "how to upgrade {product specific} computer. Bought the needed items on the net for relatively cheap, once I knew about them. Installed them, despite having zero knowledge about how to do so. all worked out well. I also upgraded RAM, the CPU from I5 to I9, and installed SSDs. Suggest a SERIES of vids, focused on specific components, on how to upgrade existing computers. What you have in this vid is only the start, but a good start. Your vids are very useful to me, and I reckon others. Best wishes, and Happy Holidays.

SSD is always my first recommandation to laptop users who complain about sluggishness. It helps getting a few years extra life out of them for light uses.

This one the best clip for upgrading your other components👍! I started with a HP tg01-0023w because of gpu price problems. Lol in 10 minutes of playing MWO the entire system would be at 90c 🤣 you couldn't even leave your hand on top of the case🤔. So I tore it down attack the case with a grinder and a holesaw added four fan sata hub replace system fans and cpu cooler "Noctua 65 down fire" 16gb ram now MWO on 1920p at 76c gpu and cpu 67c all day😋. One the unexpected speed gains was when I add a 970 Evo m2 for games and programs on a pci-e expansion card. My system is at least 35% faster over stock. Now if I can figure out hp bio fan speed unlock I can save for a gpu and psu. THANKS FOR YOUR CLIPS JAY

I found improving my gaming area helped. Getting a mech keyboard, a better monitor etc all helps while we're waiting for GPU's to stop being silly money. Also as a side note to @JayzTwoCents - don't show 2 items which aren't compatible. The Dark Rock 4 Pro can't fit in the standard O11 - or at least mention it in the video. Saves people a ton of time and hassle :)

I ran crystal disk mark on some drives: IDE - 34Mb/sec read Sata - 450-500Mb/sec read M.2 PCIE - 1800-2700 Mb/sec read M.2 NVME - 3500 Mb/sec (WD black)